Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office has reached an $850,000 settlement with a LaSalle County chemical company that dumped thousands of pounds of a likely carcinogen near the Illinois River.
Raoul announced a consent order with Peru-based Flint Hills Resources. The company manufactures polystyrene beads for usage in packing materials.
A system malfunction in 2014 caused 56,000 pounds of styrene to leak into the air. The company was also accused of dumping 2,000 pounds of liquid styrene into the soil near the Illinois River. Then Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a lawsuit in 2014.
An internal review by the company turned up multiple additional violations of state and federal environmental regulations.
As part of the consent order entered in LaSalle County Court on Thursday, the company will audit its program for detecting and fixing leaks.
"We are pleased to resolve this matter and are committed to continuing to improve our systems that ensure the utmost safety to our employees, the community and the environment," said Flint Hills Resources spokesperson Holli VanOverbeke.
The facility can apply for an end to the consent order if it meets all conditions for 12 consecutive months.Flint Hills is a subsidiary of Koch Industries.
Copyright 2021 WCBU. To see more, visit WCBU. 9(MDIwMjIxMDA0MDE0Mzk4NDIzNjA0OGQ5Yg001))